


The Green Hills Haunting

by OswinTheStrange



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Haunting, Horror, Witches, along with a few of my own ideas and add-ons, attempted possession, based on the original and remake Blair Witch films, curse, dead bodies, will have violence and death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-18 07:02:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12383268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OswinTheStrange/pseuds/OswinTheStrange
Summary: Sam and Dean investigate a strange forest with a dark history and a series of missing people. Who, or what, is behind the disappearances of the Green Hills Forest?





	1. Chapter 1

An aesthetic made by the wonderful Marrilyn, original found here: http://marril96.tumblr.com/post/166650231643/the-green-hills-haunting-aesthetic-this-is-an

 

The girl stumbled through the forest, running for her life. Her heart pounded. Branches hit and scraped her as she ran through them. Her flashlight went out. "No, no, no!" the girl pleaded. She hit the flashlight against her palm. It flickered on and off. She heard it behind her. She ran faster. It growled. Tears ran down her face. Her flashlight went out again. She tripped. Something grabbed her ankle. She let out shriek of terror as she was pulled towards it.

  
* * *

  
"I think I found a case," Sam announced, walking into the kitchen as he looked down at his tablet.

Dean was sitting at the kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. He stifled a yawn as he asked, "What is it?"

"There's a forest just east of Carnation, Washington, called the Green Hills Forest. A group of ten friends went camping there over the weekend. They were supposed to go home Sunday evening, but they haven't come back yet and it's been nearly a week. They've been declared missing and search parties have been sent out," Sam explained, skimming the news article as he sat down across from Dean.

"So? It's the forest. People go missing all the time. Probably just got lost or something," Dean said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, except they're not the first people to go missing. Over the past 100 years nearly 50 people have gone missing and they're never found. Most people come out fine, though, which is why people still go in. And that's not all," Sam said, pulling up a video on his tablet and handing it to Dean. "Apparently, a few college kids taking a film class went out there a few years back. They were doing a documentary on the history of the forest, but they went missing. All that was found was one of the cameras and a tape, which someone recorded and put on YouTube. The tape is...well, just watch it."

Dean hit the play button and the video began. It was someone running through the forest, screaming for help. A few seconds later, a growl was heard from somewhere behind the camera. The person running screamed again. The person, and the camera, turned around briefly to look behind them, only to see...something chasing them. "What the hell?" Dean muttered, furrowing his brow and looking closer at the screen.

"Keep watching," Sam said. The person came upon a house, old and decrepit, and ran inside. They ran through the house, coming upon the stairs to the basement and bounding down them, nearly tripping on the last step. They continued further into the basement, panting and crying. The person stopped dead. There was someone standing in the corner, facing the wall. "Margot?" the person with the camera asked. There was a growl behind them. The person turned, taking the camera half way with them before they screamed. The camera fell to the ground with a thud and the video ended.

Dean stared and blinked at the tablet for a second. "Holy crap," he muttered.

"Yeah," Sam said, taking the tablet back. "And it doesn't stop there." Dean looked at his brother in disbelief. "The camera that was dropped in the house was found several miles away, exactly where one of the search parties happened to be looking. Like it was placed there on purpose for someone to find."

"Why? You think it was placed as a warning?" Dean asked.

"Or maybe a lure. Humans are curious by nature, most people would want to see what the hell is going on, or go in to prove it's a hoax," Sam said. "Either way, this thing is going to keep killing people unless it's stopped."

"Alright, then. Let's pack and get going," Dean said, taking a gulp of his coffee and standing up.

  
* * *

  
A day later, Sam and Dean drove into Carnation, Washington, and found a motel to stay in. After grabbing a bite to eat at the local diner and stopping back at the motel to change into their FBI suits, the brothers came up with a plan. Sam would go to the library to research what he could about the town and the Green Hills forest, while Dean would talk to the families to see if they knew where in the forest the group had been headed.

Unfortunately, out of the ten families, almost no one was home. Most of the families had probably joined search parties to help find their missing kids. In the end, family number ten was the lucky number. Dean knocked on the door, hoping someone was home, and he breathed a sigh of relief when the door opened.

The man who opened it was sick looking, pale with bloodshot eyes and a runny nose. "Hello?" the man asked. His voice was congested and scratchy.

"Mr. Bloom? I'm Agent Plant of the FBI. I have a few questions for you about your daughter," Dean said, briefly flashing his badge before placing it back in his pocket.

Mr. Bloom furrowed his brows in confusion, but allowed Dean entry into is home. He seemed tired. Not surprising, considering his daughter was missing. And from the way Mr. Bloom looked and sounded, Dean would guess he had to deal with a nasty cold on top of that. Mr. Bloom led Dean to the living room where he motioned for Dean to sit down.

"So, why's the FBI investigating a group of missing kids?" Mr. Bloom asked, sitting heavily in a worn leather armchair.

"Well, everyone's doing what they can to find these kids," Dean said, "And your daughter and her friends aren't the first to go missing in the forest, as I'm sure you're probably aware."

"I heard about those college kids a few years back. You don't think something like that has happened to my Emily, do you?" Mr. Bloom asked.

"That's what we're trying to find out, and prevent, if we can," Dean said. "What can you tell me about the camping trip Emily went on? Do you know where they were headed?"

"I'm not sure," Mr. Bloom sighed. "I think one of the destinations was some old cabin, but I don't know where it is and I couldn't point it out on a map. I thought...with so many of them, and several of them being experienced campers, that she'd be fine, even though she'd never been interested in camping before...but...I should've..." Tears formed in Mr. Bloom's eyes, and several ran down his face.

"If she wasn't interested in camping, what made Emily, or any of her friends, for that matter, want to go to Green Hills forest?" Dean asked.

"I don't even remember now," Mr. Bloom said, sniffling, "She said something about a serial killer having lived out there once, years ago. She was always interested in true crime things like that."

Awesome, Dean thought. If a serial killer had lived out there once, maybe their spirit still lingered. It wouldn't be the first time something like this had happened. The killer dies, and is afraid of going to hell, so they stay on Earth and become a vengeful spirit, killing anyone who comes too close and hiding the bodies. "Is that everything, Mr. Bloom?" Dean asked.

"Yes, unfortunately. I'm sorry I don't remember more," Mr. Bloom said. "Do...do you think you'll find Emily?"

"We'll do our best," Dean promised. He just hoped it wasn't too late.

A few minutes later, Dean walked out of Bloom home, just in time for his phone to ring. Glancing at the caller ID, Dean answered, "What've you got, Sam?"

"So, get this. Green Hills forest has one pretty nasty history dating back to the mid-1800s," Sam said, "It starts off with a woman named Kelley Edwards, who lived in a nearby settler town. She was accused of witchcraft and of sacrificing children for her magic, but she escaped and fled to the forest. According to legend, the day she escaped she cast a curse on the forest and the town. Pretty soon after people began going into the forest, never reappearing. Everyone else in the town either became ill, ran out of food and starved, or ran out of money and left for better prospects. By the late 1800s, the town was deserted."

Dean unlocked his car and climbed in. "So, we're dealing with a vengeful spirit or a curse?" The engine roared to life as he turned on the ignition and began driving back to the motel.

"Maybe. But that's not all. In the 1950s, a man named Peter Rorschach lived in the forest. He built a house there. People thought he was weird, but harmless. Until the kids started going missing, anyway. Most of the kids were last seen near the forest, and Rorschach become the most obvious suspect. When the police went to talk to him, they found him surrounded by the bodies of the missing kids, with Rorschach himself having apparently committed suicide. Not to mention, there are plenty of rumors about the forest being a popular place for satanic cults and witches to gather and practice dark magic. Then there was that...thing in the video," Sam said.

Dean sighed. Great. "So, we're looking at potentially two different vengeful spirits, a curse, some creepy-ass monster, dark magic, and/or witches. Anything else?" He meant the question sarcastically, but genuinely hoped there was nothing else. He and Sam would have a hard enough time figuring out what was making people disappear, let alone stopping it, without anything else added to the list.

"No, that seems to be about it. How did talking to the families go?" Sam asked.

"It didn't," Dean said. "Not much, anyway. The only person home was Mr. Bloom, and I'm pretty sure that's only because he had a cold. He only knows that Emily and her friends were headed to some old cabin and that she had a thing for serial killers, just like you."

Sam sighed. "It's called True Crime. And if that's the case, then they were probably headed to Rorschach's house. As far as I can tell, it's still in the forest, although probably falling apart by now."

"Okay, whatever, Mr. True Crime," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "I'll meet you back at the motel and we'll see what we can figure out from there." He heard Sam hang up and tossed his phone onto the seat next to him. He sighed again. This whole case was a total mess, and would be damn near impossible to figure out. "Awesome," he muttered.

  
* * *

  
When Dean arrived at the motel, Sam was already there, setting up an evidence board on the wall, with maps, newspaper clippings, and missing posters. There were dozens, including the ten most recent victims and, sadly, the faces of eight kids, all probably ten or younger. Dean drew his eyes away from the sight of those small faces, instead clearing his throat and asking, "Going a little overboard, Sammy?"

"With all the information we have, we're not even close to figuring out what's going on," Sam said. "I'm beginning to think we might need help. Mom or Cas, maybe even Jody.

"I was actually thinking the same thing myself. Whatever it is we're going up against, we're going to need help," Dean agreed. "But maybe not any of those people. Mom's busy doing...whatever is it she's been doing, and Cas is busy tracking down Kelly Kline. And I don't want to bother Jody with this, she's probably got enough on her plate."

"Then who? Crowley?" Sam asked.

"No. But, I figured since we're potentially dealing with witches and curses, that we might want to fight fire with fire, so..." Dean trailed off, knowing Sam would hate the suggestion. He wasn't a huge fan of the idea himself, but he had to admit Rowena was seriously powerful and knew her spells. Plus, she wasn't quite as bad as she used to be. Dean had vague memories from when he'd been losing them, and having an almost bonding moment with the witch was one of them.

"Rowena? Seriously? That's who you want to ask for help?" As Dean had predicted, Sam wasn't happy. Sam was even giving Dean his 'bitch face', an expression that had been perfected over the years.

"Look, I'm not exactly dancing for joy at the idea either, but it makes sense. She's powerful, she's helped us before, and, like I said, can fight fire with fire in case it's a curse or witches," Dean argued.

"If," Sam emphasized, "if it's a curse or witches! There's still several other things it could be!"

"And having a witch on our side would just mean taking those things out will be easier if it's not a curse or witches," Dean said. "Come on, you know I'm right!"

Sam sighed. "Okay, fine, but who says Rowena will even help us this time? She may have helped us last time, but that wasn't exactly out of the goodness of her heart! And she doesn't have anything to gain this time!"

"So, we owe her a favor down the line," Dean said.

"And if that's not enough? I mean, we're probably going to have to go into the forest for this. I can't see Rowena going hiking and camping, helping us on our case with just an IOU," Sam pointed out.

Dean thought for a moment. "What about the book? From the Loughlin family?"

"You want to give Rowena the Loughlin family book?" Sam asked. "You do realize that's a terrible idea, right?"

"Not the whole book," Dean clarified, "just a few pages. We choose the pages, let her see what looks least dangerous, and we owe her somewhere down the line. Sound good?"

Sam thought it over, before finally relenting. "Fine. There's no guarantee she'll help us, but...I guess it's worth a shot."

"Alright. You continue setting up all that," Dean said, motioning to the evidence board, "and I'll give our favorite least-favorite witch a call."

Dean thought Rowena would let the phone ring a bit before answering, but to his surprise she answered on the third ring. "Don't tell me you're losing your memory again, Winchester?" Rowena asked as she answered, her tone light and teasing.

"Not this time. But Sam and I could use your help," Dean said.

"Oh, really? My, what have you two gotten yourselves into this time?" Rowena asked.

"We're working a case in Carnation, Washington. We're not sure what exactly we're dealing with here, but two of the possible causes are a curse or witches. Whatever it is, we could use backup, and you're the most powerful witch out there," Dean said, hopping the added bit of flattery might soften her up a bit.

"Well, I suppose I could lend a hand, but what would I be getting in return? I'm not going to help you and your brother for nothing," Rowena said.

"We'd owe you a favor. A big favor," Dean offered.

"You think owing me a favor will make me help you? Favors are well and good, but who says you'll stay true to your word?" Rowena asked. "If that's all you've got, then-"

"The Loughlin family book!" Dean interrupted her sentence. "We'll let you see a few pages from their book. We choose the pages, but you still get them. And the IOU. Final offer."

Rowena hummed over the phone, in pretend thought, but Dean was pretty sure she'd already made her decision. "Alright, then," Rowena agreed, "I can be there by early this evening."

"Great. I'll text you the address where we're staying. See you then," Dean said, hanging up and then, as he said he would, texting the motel address and room number to Rowena.

"I'm assuming she agreed?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Said she'll be here this evening. So, until then, I guess we try and figure out what we're dealing with here," Dean said, looking again at the evidence board.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam, Dean, and Rowena continue their trek to Rorschach's house, only to realize something far stranger than they realized is going on.

Three quick knocks on the door startled Sam and Dean from their research. Dean moved to open the door, hand on his gun, just in case. Peering through the peephole, he let go of his gun and opened the door.

Rowena stood at the door, smirking and dressed as nicely as she normally was. "Hello, boys," she greeted, looking at Dean and then past him to Sam. She entered the room as Dean stepped aside to let her in. Looking around the room, she wrinkled her nose. "Honestly, would it kill you two to stay somewhere nice for once?"

"Nice to see you, too, Rowena," Sam said sarcastically, watching her warily. Rowena may have helped them before, but Sam didn't trust her one bit.

"Giant," Rowena said, raising her head a bit in a way that was a half-greeting and half-challenge. She turned back to Dean, who was closing and locking the door. "So, what's this about a curse and witches?"

"The nearby forest, Green Hills, is rumored to be cursed. Another rumor is that witches practice dark magic there," Dean explained. "We figured if it was one of those things, we'd need your help."

"And those were only two of the possible causes of whatever is going on there. There were a whole bunch of possible things making people disappear from the forest," Sam added.

"So, I might not even be needed here?" Rowena questioned.

"Not exactly. Whatever is out there is possibly pretty damn powerful. Too powerful for us. Which is where you come in," Dean said.

"Do you Neanderthals even know what we're dealing with, then? Or are we doing this blindly?" Rowena asked.

"We’ve narrowed it down," Sam said. "We're not one-hundred percent sure about the curse, but we've ruled out witches and, we're pretty sure, vengeful spirits."

"Oh, is that all? Tell me, is there anything you actually know for sure here?" Rowena asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, actually. Well, no," Dean corrected himself, "Sort of. We know there's some sort of... monster in the forest. We're just... not entirely sure what it is. All we know is what it looks like... vaguely."

Rowena sighed. "How the bloody hell are you two imbeciles still alive?"

"I like to think it's our charming personalities," Dean smirked.

Rowena fought the urge to roll her eyes again. "Well, what does this 'monster' of yours look like?"

"Sam, show her the video," Dean said.

Sam pulled up the video on his tablet, handing it to Rowena. She was silent as she watched it, her eyes glued to the screen. Once it had ended, she struggled for words, "That was... well..."

"I know," Dean said, taking the tablet from her and rewinding the video back to the brief image of the monster. "And we've done everything to try and figure out what this thing is. Zooming in, sharpening the image, increasing the brightness, and nothing. All we know is that it's fast, animal-like, and not something you want to meet in a dark alley."

"Oh, well that certainly narrows it down!" Rowena exclaimed.

"Well, that's why we're going into the forest tomorrow to find out," Dean said.

" _Into_  the forest? I hope you're not expecting me to come along with you!" Rowena protested.

Dean gave her a look that plainly said 'what do you think?'

"Absolutely not! I agreed to help you idiots, but you never said  _anything_  about hiking into a bloody forest!" Rowena exclaimed.

"Well, that was sort of implied," Dean said, "And we're not exactly huge fans of hiking into a forest and camping while some monster we don't even-" Dean was cut off by Rowena protesting again.

"And camping, as well! You two can count yourselves on your own!" Rowena said, moving towards the door.

Dean quickly moved in front of her, blocking her path. "Look, we're not thrilled about this, either, but we have to. And think about it, you leave now, you don't get a look at the Loughlin's book. And if Sam and I  _die_  in that forest, that means you'll  _never_  get that book.  _Ever_ ," Dean said. "And it's only two nights. One on the way to the cabin, and one on the way back. Don't tell me a powerful witch like you can't survive a two-night sleepover in the forest."

Rowena bristled at the last statement. "I can survive just about anything,  _Winchester_ ," she spat. She glared at him, thinking it over in her head.

"Besides, all you'd have to do is come with us and maybe cast any spells when we need you to. All the camping gear we need and any fighting we need to do, Sam and I will handle it, alright?" Dean continued, hoping he could convince Rowena to stay and help.

Rowena sighed. "Fine! But as soon as this is over, we're heading to that bunker of yours or wherever you've stashed the bloody book! And no tricks!"

"Deal," Dean said. "Alright, you better go to wherever you're staying a get some shut eye. We're leaving at ten tomorrow morning." Rowena shot him a withering look at hearing the hour they'd be leaving. "Hey, we need as much daylight as possible! The later we leave, the more likely it is we'll have to stay in the forest an extra night."

"Alright, alright," Rowena said, "Tomorrow morning at ten."

Dean moved out of her way and she left without another word.

"Well, that was fun," he sighed.

"Sure you still want her help?" Sam asked, smirking.

"No. But we might need it," Dean said.

An idea popped into Sam's head and he started laughing.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Nothing, I'm just imagining Rowena trying to camp in high heels," Sam got out between laughs.

Dean chuckled a bit at the thought, then stopped. "She'd probably twist her ankle or something and complain the entire time, though."

"Probably. Ten bucks says she wears heels," Sam said.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Really? Even Rowena wouldn't be crazy enough to go into the woods in high heels," he said. Then he thought about it. Would she? He couldn't remember ever seeing her in anything else. "But what the hell? Ten bucks says you're wrong."

"Deal. Hey, I'm gonna head out and start getting supplies," Sam said, standing from his chair and stretching.

"Pick up some dinner, while you're at it. It's getting late," Dean said, tossing Baby's keys to Sam.

"See you in a few hours," Sam said, grabbing his wallet and room key and leaving.

Dean went back to research, trying to figure out what the monster from the video might be. He searched local myths from the area, and then more general myths. With limited knowledge of the monster's behavior and appearance, Dean was coming up with dozens of possibilities and nothing concrete. He sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. "What the hell are you?" he muttered, looking back at the paused image from the video. He stood up, deciding he needed to stretch his legs. Walking around the room, he let his thoughts drift from the monster to Rowena.

Seeing her again had made the vague memories from when he'd been under Gideon Loughlin's spell clearer. He remembered more bits and pieces now, and fragments of conversations.

_"I tho_ _ught_ _if they can't be happy, or at least satisfied, how can there be any hope for me?"_

_"Why are you telling me this?"_

_"Because I know you won't remember."_

The voices, voices he recognized as Rowena's and his own, echoed through his head. Dean absentmindedly scratched at his nose. He remembered Rowena's words to him as she was leaving, after the spell had been lifted.  

_"_ _Now, should you experience any odd memories from when you were_ _hexed, conversations, you let me know?_ "

Dean wondered if that's what he was remembering. It probably was, Dean decided. He wondered if he should tell Rowena. On one hand, what would telling her accomplish? It's not like either of them could do anything about it. But not telling her... the more memories that came back over time, the more personal he realized what she'd told him had been. Maybe he should tell her, simply as a courtesy?

He was brought out of his dilemma as he heard the roar of Baby's engine and saw the flash of headlights through the blinds. He sat back down in his chair, returning to the research while the engine shut off and, a minute later, Sam entered the room. Dean raised an eyebrow and whistled.

Sam came in carrying bags and bags of god-knows-what. "A little help?" he asked, struggling to carry everything.

"Nah, I think you've got it," Dean teased.

Sam rolled his eyes, eventually just placing the bags down on the floor and closing the door behind him.

"What's all that?" Dean asked, motioning towards the bags.

"Tents, sleeping bags, food and water, maps, compasses, a GPS, just in case, and pretty much anything else we may or may not need. By the way, I maxed one of our credit cards," Sam said, looking around at all the bags.

"Go a little overboard there, Sam?" Dean asked.

"I know it seems like it, but... I don't know. I had a feeling we might need extra, so..." Sam trailed off. "Help me with packing all this stuff, will you?"

Dean stood, and the two of them sorted everything among the three backpacks Sam had bought for the group. Once everything was sorted, the two figured they had prepared as much as they could and decided to get some sleep.

*  *  *

 

The next morning Sam and Dean woke early, double and triple checking that they had everything. Sam even went as far to make a checklist, which Dean lightly teased him about. 

After a few hours, Sam checked his watch. "It’s almost ten," Sam said, "Where the hell is she?"

"I don't know," Dean replied, "Maybe she's-" he was cut off by a knock at the door. "Speak of the devil." Opening the door, he was surprised to see Rowena looking like she was almost ready to go on a hike.

She'd pulled her hair back into a simple pony tail, rather than one of the fancy up-dos she normally had. Her nice blouse and skirt from yesterday had been exchanged for jeans and a long-sleeved shirt under a... was she wearing a  _flannel_? Dean gaped, surprised at how well she'd come dressed for their trip. And, he noted with slight satisfaction, hiking boots rather than high heels.

"Trying to catch flies, Winchester?" Rowena asked, smirking at his confusion.

Dean snapped his jaw shut, realizing his mouth had fallen open. "You look... different," he said.

"Well, when in Rome..." Rowena said, trailing off. "Are you going to let me in?"

"We're getting ready to leave, actually. And speaking of," Dean said, briefly moving back into the room to grab the smaller of the three backpacks before moving back to the door and thrusting it into Rowena's arms.

"Oof," Rowena grunted, struggling to hold the bag that had nearly been thrown at her. "What the bloody hell is in this thing?"

"Camping stuff," Dean said. He called back into the room, "Let's get a move on, Sammy! And grab my backpack!"

"Grab your own backpack!" Sam responded, appearing with his own backpack in the doorway. He stopped when he saw Rowena. "Wow, you actually look-"

"Yes, yes, I know!" Rowena exclaimed, hoisting the backpack onto her shoulder. "Let's just get this bloody thing over with!"

Dean tossed Sam the keys. "You start loading everything in, and I'll get my bag and lock up."

Sam took the keys as Rowena began walking towards the car.

"Oh, and one more thing, Sam," Dean added, motioning towards Rowena's retreating figure. "No heels. You owe me ten bucks."

"Whatever, jerk," Sam said.

"Bitch," Dean countered, smirking and heading back into the room to get his backpack.

Within five minutes, they'd loaded everything into the car and were on the road to Green Hills forest. The trip was silent, the only sound being the roar of the engine. Dean didn't even turn his music on. Part of the reason was because he really didn't feel like listening to Rowena complain about his taste in music. The other part was... something felt off. He couldn't place it. He didn't know why he was feeling this way. It was just another case, similar to ones he and Sam had worked hundreds of times over the years. But there was a strange sense of foreboding that still lingered in the air that even Sam and Rowena seemed to sense, if their silence was anything to go on.

It was nearly ten thirty by the time Dean was pulling into the parking area by the entrance to the forest. Sam pulled out a map and a compass as the group unloaded their things from the car. "Okay, so I've marked a path to Rorschach's house on each of our maps. If any of us get lost or separated from the group, use your map and compass to continue heading towards the house. That's where we'll all meet up," Sam explained. Dean and Rowena nodded their understanding and the group began their trek into the forest.

The forest was bright, the sun streaming through the green canopy above and leaving spots of sunlight all over the trees and forest floor. A well-worn path led the group through the trees, with playful squirrels or singing birds crossing their path every so often. Occasionally, in the distance, they heard other groups laughing or talking. But for the most part, the only sounds to be heard were those of nature. 

It was calm and sunny, giving the impression of a peaceful forest to take a hike or go camping in. Only Sam, Dean, and Rowena knew the true danger that these trees were hiding. It was a shame, Dean thought. If it weren't for some monster, and possibly a curse, this would actually be a nice place to go camping for-real, without worrying about killing something or finding missing people.

It seemed Sam was thinking something along the same lines as Dean. "You know, this place isn't too bad. I mean, aside from the monster and missing people," he said.

"Yeah. You know, after this, we should really go camping sometime. And I mean proper camping, no monsters or witches or curses," Dean clarified.

"I think that'd be nice," Sam said. Then he spotted something. "Okay, this is where we leave the path." He pointed to a less-worn path, covered in grass and tree roots, the branched off from their current path.

"We're leaving the path?" Rowena asked, warily eyeing the new path.

"Yep. Best way to Rorschach's house. Sam and I figured it out last night," Dean said.

"So, you can figure that out, but not what we're up against?" Rowena sassed.

Dean opened his mouth, trying to come up with a witty retort. He closed his mouth, and simply said, "Just don't fall behind," before stepping onto the new path.

"Don't worry about me, Winchester. I won't!" Rowena called to his retreating figure.

Rowena did, in fact, fall behind. It didn't surprise either of the brothers. Rowena didn't seem like she'd be an experienced hiker, and the fact that the path was covered in roots and, later on, branches that reached out from the trees to grab and tear at the group, didn't help. Several times Sam and Dean had to wait a minute so Rowena could catch up to them, and, once, she was almost hit by a branch the swung back in her face after Dean pushed past it.

"Oi! Watch it!" Rowena cried. 

Sam and Dean turned back to see what the fuss was this time, and Dean, sheepishly, realized that this one had partially been his fault. "Sorry about that," Dean apologized.

Rowena, still slightly flustered, seemed to accept the apology. "Be more careful next time," she said.

For another few hours, the trip passed, more or less, uneventfully. They could see the sun moving through the forest canopy above them. They group took a quick lunch break, finding a log to sit on and rest their legs, before continuing on.

Suddenly, Dean stopped, almost causing Rowena to run into him.

"A little warning would be nice, Winchester!" Rowena exclaimed.

Sam turned back to see what the commotion was. "What's going on?"

"You said this was the most direct path to Rorschach's house, right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, why?" Sam asked.

"Most experienced hikers would come this way if they wanted to go to Rorschach's house, including those ten people that went missing over the weekend, right?" Dean questioned. "So, why is there no sign that anyone's been here? A group of ten people would have to leave some sort of mark or sign. And the search parties would've had to have come this way, too. And yet there's nothing."

Sam looked around, realizing what Dean said was right. There was absolutely no sign that anyone had come this way in god knows how long. 

"Maybe they just went another way," Rowena suggested.

"It's possible for the hikers, yeah," Sam said, "but the search parties would want to search every possible path or detour the group could have taken to find them. And a decent-sized search party would leave some sort of sign that they'd been through here."

"Is it possible that they could have missed the path? Or somehow ruled it out?" Rowena asked.

"I don't know," Dean said. "But there isn't anything we can do to find out at this point."

"He's right," Sam agreed. "Let's just keep moving and keep an eye out for anything else weird."

The three continued on until it got too dark to see, and they set up camp. Sam and Dean had spent part of the previous night creating portable sigils and devils traps they could place around camp, and Rowena added a few spells of her own to ward the campsite. Then they set up their tents, with Dean helping Rowena set up hers as she had no idea how to, and she claimed the directions were 'absolutely ridiculous', which Dean was pretty sure actually meant 'confusing and difficult to follow'. The camp fire came next, courtesy of a fire-starting spell from Rowena, and the group ate their dinner.

When the group decided who was going to take first watch, Rowena, surprisingly, volunteered.

"Really?" Dean asked. " _You_  want to take first watch?"

Rowena scoffed. "I don't  _want_  to," she said, "but I'd rather not be woken up in the middle of the night, so I figured I might as well."

"Um, okay. Wake one of us up in a few hours, then. Or if something happens," Sam said.

The brothers grabbed their backpacks and crawled into their tent.

"Is it a bit weird that  _Rowena_  wants to take first watch?" Sam asked, keeping his voice low as he set out his sleeping bag.

"Yeah, but what's she gonna do?" Dean responded, setting out his own sleeping bag. "She can't exactly leave us and try to find her way back to civilization. She'd get lost, or injured, and she's not stupid."

"True," Sam said. "Still, a bit weird."

"Yeah, well, maybe it's like she said and she doesn't want to wake up in the middle of the night," Dean said.

"She does prefer her beauty sleep," Sam muttered, remembering her complaint when he'd called her for help disarming the Werther Box.

"What?" Dean asked, confused.

"Nothing. Let's get some sleep while we can," Sam said.

The brothers crawled into their respective sleeping bags and shut their eyes, hoping to fall asleep soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Marrilyn for helping me edit this chapter!  
> I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Edit: I'd also like to thank everyone for the lovely comments on the previous chapter! I'm so glad you are enjoying the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam, Dean, and Rowena continue their journey, only to find reaching their destination is much more difficult than they thought.

Sam was the last person to take watch that night, staying up until morning. Once it had become light enough to see, he woke up Dean, who was snoring softly.

"Ugh, what time is it," Dean yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Sam checked his watch. It said twelve o'clock, on the dot, which he knew wasn't possible. Then, he noted with a frown, that the second hand wasn't moving. It must've stopped in the night, or maybe during the hike yesterday. "Early," Sam said.

Still curious for the time, Dean checked his own watch before groaning. "Ah, shit," he swore. "My damn watch died."

Sam furrowed his brow. "Your watch died?"

"Yeah. Must've died while I was sleeping," Dean said.

"What exact time did it die?" Sam asked.

Dean checked his watch again. "Twelve 'o clock," he said. "Why?"

Sam showed him his watch. "So, did mine. Twelve 'o clock, exactly."

"Well, that's not at all weird or unusual," Dean muttered.

"No kidding," Sam said. He opened his mouth to continue, then stopped.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"You hear that?" Sam asked.

Dean paused for a moment, trying to listen for whatever it was that his brother was hearing. "I don't hear anything," he said.

"Exactly! The sun's coming up, the birds should be awake by now, and yet there's nothing. Complete, dead silence," Sam responded.

Dean hadn't noticed it before, but now that he did, the silence was nearly deafening. "Well, I'm willing to bet we're getting close to whatever is going on, then," he said.

"My thoughts exactly," Sam said. "Why don't you go wake Rowena, and I'll start getting our things together?"

"Oh, that'll be fun," Dean said sarcastically, stretching, leaving the warmth of his sleeping bag, and crawling out of the tent. He took a moment to fully stretch, several joints popping loudly. The noise was almost startling in the silence.

Dean walked over to Rowena's tent. "Rowena, you awake in there?" he called. No answer. Kneeling, he unzipped the opening of the tent. Inside, Rowena lay sound asleep in her sleeping bag, softly breathing and looking completely relaxed. It was strange, to see her so... unguarded. She was almost peaceful looking. It was almost a shame to wake her, but they had a lot of traveling to do. So, in a loud voice, he yelled, "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!"

He was loud enough to wake Rowena, who immediately opened her eyes and shot into a sitting position, looking wildly for the source of the noise. Upon seeing Dean smirking at her, she glared. "Really, Winchester?"

"Just making sure you're awake," Dean said. "We're leaving soon."

Rowena peered past him, seeing the early morning light. She sighed. "It's too bloody early for this," she muttered, laying back down.

"Hey! No going back to sleep!" Dean exclaimed.

"Five more minutes won't kill anyone," Rowena said.

"Don't make me come in there!" Dean warned. "I  _will_  drag you out of there if I have to!"

"Sure, you will," Rowena muttered.

Dean sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you!" Gripping the edges of the sleeping bag, he slowly began dragging it towards the opening of the tent.

"Alright, I'm up!" Rowena yelled, sitting up. "Don't make me hex you, Winchester!"

"Yeah, yeah, just pack your things," Dean said, letting go of Rowena's sleeping bag and walking back towards his and Sam's tent to help Sam finish packing.

A short while later, after the tents had been taken down and everything had been packed, they had a quick breakfast and then they were ready to go. As they continued their journey, the day got brighter, but remained as quite as it had been in the morning. It set Dean on edge, and it seemed to make Sam and Rowena nervous as well.

The group hiked for hours, taking only the occasional break. Dean thought they had to be making pretty good time, but only had a vague sense of how much time had passed from the position of the sun.

After a while, Sam stopped, looking at his map and then the surrounding area. 

"Something wrong?" Dean asked.

"I'm not sure," Sam said. "According to the map, we should be near a pond right now, but, I don't see any sign of it."

"Don't tell me you've gotten us lost, Samuel," Rowena said.

"We're not lost," Sam responded, "We could just be a little too East to see it. Or maybe too West."

"Oh, that certainly helps us," Rowena snarked.

"Cool it, you two," Dean interrupted, not wanting an argument to break out. "Sam, what about that GPS? Why don't we use that?" 

"Yeah, sure," Sam said, taking off his backpack and kneeling on the ground, rummaging through the bag. A minute later he pulled the GPS out and hit the button to turn it on. The screen came to life... and then it flickered once, then twice, and it went black.

"What the hell?" Sam muttered, lightly hitting the side of the GPS. "I put brand new batteries in this thing the night before we left!"

"Can't you idiots do anything right?" Rowena sighed.

Sam and Dean both shot her a look that firmly said 'shut up' and she wisely stopped talking.

"Well, this is just great," Dean said.

"I don't understand it," Sam said, placing the GPS back in his bag and standing up.

"Maybe it's like our watches. Something's messing with the GPS, or draining it," Dean suggested.

"Maybe. I've got an idea. Everyone check your phones," Sam said.

Everyone did as he said, taking their phones out and attempting to use them. None of them turned on.

"I charged this thing before we left!" Dean exclaimed, frowning at the device in his hand.

"So did I," Rowena added, attempting to turn on her own phone.

"We all did, but I think something's draining them, just like the GPS, and mine and Dean's watches," Sam explained.

"So, good news is we're on the right track. Bad news is we're cut off and lost. We can't even tell the freaking time!" Dean said.

"What now?" Rowena asked, putting her phone away.

"We keep going straight. According to the map, there are a few markers or signs on the way. We have to come across one of them eventually," Sam said.

"Oh, that's a brilliant plan! And what happens if we get even more lost?" Rowena asked.

"You got a better plan? 'Cause we're all ears," Dean snapped at Rowena.

Rowena opened her mouth to retort, and then closed it and said nothing, simply glaring at the brothers.

"Okay, then. Lead on, Sam," Dean said.

Another hour passed as the group made their way through the forest, an uneasy feeling growing in the group. Somehow, it felt like the forest had gotten even more quiet. Their walking sounded like low, rumbling thunder, and if someone stepped on a stick and broke it, it sounded like a gunshot ringing through the air.

Dean breathed a slight sigh of relief when they reached a campsite. "This on the map, Sam?"

"I don't...I can't find it," Sam said, searching the map. "There's only one campsite along our path and it's-"

Sam was interrupted by a shout from Rowena. "It's our bloody campsite from last night!" she yelled. "You've led us in a circle!"

"That's impossible," Sam said.

Dean's heart sank as he looked around the cleaning. He could see marks in the ground left by tents— _their_  tents—and the small circle they'd set up for the fire. "Damn it," he swore.

"Brilliant, Samuel, really! I always said you were an idiot, but I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to lead us in a circle!" Rowena ranted.

"We were going straight the entire time!" Sam yelled. "We  _couldn't_  have gone in a circle!"

The two continued to argue, shouting at each other. Dean curled his fist, nails digging into his palms. He'd never realized how aggravating Sam and Rowena's voices could be. "Both of you just SHUT UP!" he yelled. His voice was loud, louder than either Sam or Rowena's, and rang through the clearing. It was almost deafening.

Sam and Rowena stopped immediately, turning to look at Dean.

"Look, I don't like this, either. At all. But arguing with each other isn't gonna help. We got a bit turned around. Let's take a quick break and then try again, okay?"

Sam sighed. "Okay."

Rowena merely nodded, not looking at either of the brothers.

The group sat down, deciding to have lunch and pointedly not looking at each other. When they got ready to leave, Sam pulled out his compass, only to sigh in annoyance. "Of course," he muttered. The needle of the compass was spinning wildly. "Whatever's messing with everything else is probably messing with the compass, too."

"Well, that's awesome," Dean muttered.

"Guess there's only one other method we can use," Sam said. Putting the compass away, he looked at the sky. "Okay, so the sun was coming up that way," he said, pointing in one direction, "which means we need to head that way," he continued, turning and pointing in another direction. "If we head straight, we should be okay."

The group began heading the way Sam had pointed on, making sure to keep going as straight as possible. They didn't want to get lost again. They hiked for hours, and soon enough it was starting to get dark. It felt odd to Dean. The day should've been longer. But then again, they didn't really know how much time was actually passing without watches or phones. All they had to go on was the movement of the sun.

By the time it was becoming too dark to see, they finally reached an opening in the trees. Everyone, exhausted from the day, felt their hearts sink upon seeing that they were back at their campsite again.

"How the hell did we end up back here again?" Dean asked.

"I don't know!" Sam said. "We were going in the right direction and we went straight the entire time! There's no way we could have ended up back here!"

"And yet here we are," Rowena sighed, sitting down and leaning against a tree. She looked about as tired as Dean was beginning to feel.

"What's the plan now?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed. "It'll be too dark to see soon. I guess we just have to set up camp and try again tomorrow."

"Oh, fantastic. Another night in this bloody forest," Rowena said, sarcasm dripping from each word.

"One extra night won't kill you," Dean said. "Let's get the tents set up and eat."

The three worked on setting up the tents, all the while discussing how they could have ended up back at the campsite twice. Dean suggested that whatever was messing with the watches and phones was maybe somehow messing with them, making them walk in circles. That seemed to be the only explanation anyone could come up with.

Once the tents were finished and a fire set up, the group sat around it, trying to stay warm while they ate their dinner. The forest got surprisingly cold at night. And without any noise, not even crickets, it was eerie. The only sound was coming from the crackling fire.

Then Dean perked his head up. "You hear that?" he asked. 

The other two looked at him in confusion. He heard it again. It had come from his right. A crack, like a branch breaking. This time Sam and Rowena heard it. Another crack was heard, closer this time. Dean stood, untucking his gun from his waistband and aiming it towards the noise. He saw Sam do the same, and Rowena raise her hands, looking ready to fire off a spell if needed.

The noise came closer. They could hear footsteps. They were coming slightly faster now. Another crack. More footsteps. Tree branches creaked. Leaves rustled. The footsteps were only feet away now. A face appeared from the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by Marrilyn  
> Let me know what you guys think of the chapter! And maybe send in predictions, if you have any. I'd love to see what you guys think is gonna happen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam, Dean, and Rowena meet someone new and find out a bit more about what's happening in the forest.

The face belonged to a young woman. She was covered in dirt and scratches. Her clothes were torn in various places and her dark hair was a tangled mess. Dark circles stood out prominently from under her bloodshot eyes. She shivered, her arms wrapped around herself in an attempt to stay warm.

Upon seeing Sam and Dean's guns pointing at her, she froze and her eyes widened. "P-please don't hurt me," she stuttered. Her voice was hoarse, like she hadn't had water in a long while. Or had been screaming. Considering her condition, probably both.

Lowering their weapons, the brothers tucked their guns away.

"We're not going to hurt you," Sam said. "We just didn't know what you were, at first. We thought you might've been... uh, something else."

"Have... have you seen it, too?" The girl asked. Her voice was low, almost too low to catch.

"Seen what?" Sam asked.

"There's something out here," the girl whispered. "I don't know what it is, but... I think it killed my friends. Some of them, anyway. I've been running for days. I haven't eaten or slept or seen daylight in... I don't even know how long."

"But it was light out just a few hours ago," Rowena said.

The girl shook her head. "The forest... it does something to you. Makes you walk in circles and then takes away the sun. Cuts you off from everyone. Then that  _thing_  attacks."

Her words were eerily familiar with the group. Cuts you off? Makes you walk in circles? That's exactly what had been happening to them all day.

"Hey, why don't you come sit down?" Sam offered. "We have extra food and water if you need it."

The girl hesitated, warily looking between the three. After a moment, she walked towards the fire. They moved aside, making room for her, and waiting for her to sit before sitting down themselves. Dean reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a few granola bars. The moment he reached out to hand them to the girl, she snatched them from his hands. Unscrewing the cap with shaking hands, she downed nearly half the bottle, taking large, greedy gulps, before stopping. "Thanks," she said sheepishly.

"No problem, uh..." Dean trailed off, hoping she'd introduce herself.

"Hayden," the girl said. He knew that name. Hayden Gibbings, one of the ten campers who'd gone missing. Well, at least they'd found one of the people they were looking for.

"I'm Dean," he introduced, "This is my brother, Sam, and our... sort of friend, Rowena." Sam and Rowena both looked at Dean with slight surprise upon hearing the word 'friend'. Dean was almost surprised himself. But he supposed it made sense. He didn't exactly hate the witch anymore, and she wasn't so bad when you actually talked to her. But it still felt a bit strange. He was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of a granola bar being torn open.

"So, Hayden, what exactly happened to you and your friends?" Sam asked.

"It's a long story," she said, taking a bite of the granola bar.

"We've got plenty of time," Dean said.

Hayden sighed, taking another bite of the granola bar. Then she began to speak, "My friends and I hadn't hung out in a while, we'd all been so busy. So, when Josh suggested we go camping in Green Hills forest for a weekend, give us a few days away from our lives just to hang out and 'sight see', we all started making plans."

"And by 'sight see', you mean Rorschach's house, right?" Sam asked.

Hayden nodded. "My friends have interests in stuff like urban legends, history, true crime... I don't, but I wanted to hang out with my them, so I figured I'd come anyway. It beat staying at home. So, by Friday morning we were ready and heading out into the forest. We hiked the whole day and found a campsite to stay overnight. And that's when things got weird."

"Let me guess, electronics not working? Walking in circles?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. By midday everyone was agitated and arguing. No matter which direction we went, we ended up back at our campsite. No one could understand what was going on. We decided to stay another night and figure things out in the morning. And that's when..." she trailed off, looking firmly at the ground. She shook her head. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"You have to, Hayden. If we're going to be able to help, you have to tell us what happened," Sam said.

"You can't help," Hayden mumbled. "Pretty soon you're not even going to be able to help yourselves."

"Try us," Dean said, "My brother and I deal with weird crap like this all the time."

Hayden gave him a look of disbelief.

"It's true," Sam said, "You know all those stories about things like vampires or zombies?"

"Who doesn't?" Hayden asked.

"Well, those 'stories' are true, more or less. Monsters are real, and my brother and I hunt them," Sam explained.

Hayden blinked. Then blinked again. "I think I'm finally losing it," she said. "Did you seriously just say you two are vampire hunters?

"Well, we'll kill any sort of monster, but yeah," Dean said.

"So, you're slayers or something? And don't tell me, your friend here is a super witch, like Willow?" Hayden said sarcastically.

Dean had to hold back a laugh at that. Super witch? He had to admit it, the title certainly fit Rowena, and he swore he saw her smirk a bit.

"Uh, well we're not slayers, but it is our job to hunt monsters," Sam said.

"And I am a witch," Rowena added.

"I... was only joking about that bit," Hayden said, staring at Rowena with wide eyes. Looking around at the group, and seeing how serious they were, Hayden rested her head in her hands. "Either you guys are crazy, or I am," she muttered.

"Could be a bit of both," Dean joked.

Sam gave him one of his famous 'bitch faces', with the obvious message of 'not helping'.

"So, you guys deal with this stuff all the time?" Hayden asked.

"Every week," Dean said.

Hayden sighed. "Then... you can help me?"

"We'll do our best," Sam said.

Hayden looked into the fire. Dean could practically see the gears in her head turning as she thought. Looking back up at them, she said, "Okay. I'll believe you guys. What now?"

"Let's start with you finishing your story," Sam said.

Hayden nodded. "So, we decided to get some sleep and try again in the morning. I think I only got a few hours before Josh was waking me, and everyone else, up. He said he'd been hearing some weird noises, and that he'd gotten up to check it out. And that's when we found this weird stone pile, with a bunch of weird... I don't know, they were almost like dolls or something, but made with sticks and tied together with some sort of string, surrounding it. He thought it was some prank, so he woke us up trying to figure out who'd done it. That's when we all heard the growling and..." she stopped, taking a breath.

"You okay, Hayden?" Sam asked.

"I'm fine, I just... we heard the noises. I guess Josh thought it was someone else pranking us, maybe another camper, because he started calling whoever it was out. He moved towards the tree line and this...  _thing_  jumped out and grabbed him. It... I don't think it was human. Everyone panicked. Some of us ran. I think the others tried to help Josh. After that, we were all separated. I thought I heard Jess scream at one point, but I didn't know where from. I've been wandering for days, trying to stay away from it and get out of here. But it's impossible," Hayden said, finishing her story with tears in her eyes.

"Hayden, I know this is difficult, but we need you to tell us what the monster looked like," Sam said.

"I didn't get a good look," Hayden said, "It was dark, and as soon as it had Josh, I ran."

"Any little detail could help," Dean said.

Hayden furrowed her brow in concentration. "Um, it was humanoid. Tall and thin. I think it had claws. And it sounded, and moved, like an animal," she recalled. Sam and Dean noticed her eyes were drooping, and she furrowed her brow even more, concentrating on keeping them open.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Dean suggested. "You look exhausted."

"I can't," Hayden protested, "If that thing shows up-"

"We'll deal with it," Dean said. "You need sleep. You can take my sleeping bag and share a tent with Rowena."

"What about you?" Hayden asked.

"I'll manage," he said. "Now go get some rest."

Too tired to protest further, Hayden allowed herself to be led by Rowena to the tent, grabbing Dean's sleeping bag on the way.

Once the two had entered the tent, Dean turned to Sam. "So, what do you think?"

"I don't know," Sam said, "Hayden's description isn't a lot to go off of."

"And what's this whole thing about the forest messing with people? Making them walk in circles, or the sun not rising. I mean, the sun was just up a few hours ago. You ever hear of anything like this?" Dean asked.

"No," Sam said, "But maybe there's... I don't know, some sort of time loop?"

"So, we're in the Twilight Zone now? That's just awesome," Dean muttered.

"Or maybe something's messing with her head? Making it seem like it's only night?" Sam suggested.

Dean sighed. "Whatever's going on, we have no idea how to deal with it."

"Do you think Rowena will have a few ideas?" Sam wondered. "Maybe there's some sort of spell making the forest do this?"

Dean shrugged. "Maybe. Let's hope so, 'cause I got nothing."

"And what about the others? Hayden's friends, I mean. Do you think they're..." Sam trailed off.

"I don't know. Realistically... we're not gonna be able to save all of them. But let's hope we can get this thing before it gets the rest of them," Dean said.

Sam nodded, looking into the fire and thinking over who may or may not be left. Hayden was safe with them, hopefully. The monster had probably killed Josh, and possibly Jess, assuming Hayden had heard correctly and that the scream hadn't been about something else. Whoever had run to help Josh when he was attacked was also probably dead or injured. But without a number, Sam couldn't figure out how many possible survivors there were. He just hoped they could save a few of them.

*   *   *

"Thanks for letting me stay with you," Hayden said, laying out the sleeping bag Dean had given her.

"Don't worry about it," Rowena replied. "You seem thoroughly exhausted."

"I am," Hayden said, crawling into the sleeping bag. "I don't know if I'll actually be able to sleep, though. I'm too..." she trailed off, trying to think of the right word.

"Scared?" Rowena suggested.

"That's one word for it, I guess," Hayden said.

Looking, at the girl, Rowena felt a strange sense of familiarity. She saw a bit of herself in Hayden and her situation. Despite how long ago it had been, Rowena could still clearly remember a time when she'd been in the same situation of being scared and alone, hungry and filthy, forced to rely upon the kindness of strangers. And as much as Rowena hated being reminded of that time, of how she'd used to be, she couldn't help but admire Hayden's strength, just a tiny bit. Most others would have collapsed or broken down by now, were they in her situation. She felt a bit of sympathy for her, as well.

"You needn't be," Rowena said. "Sam and Dean, while they may be stubborn pains in the arse, won't let anything happen to someone like you if they can help it. They're  _heroes_." The last word was said with slight disdain.

"You don't seem to like them very much. I thought you were friends," Hayden said.

"Friend isn't quite the right word. Allies, I suppose, is more accurate. Or, it has been lately, anyways," Rowena explained. "It's..."

"Complicated?" Hayden guessed.

Rowena bit back a laugh. When was it  _not_  complicated with the Winchesters? "Exactly," she said. Neither she nor Hayden said anything else for a moment, and Rowena wondered if Hayden had fallen asleep.

"So, are you a good witch, or a bad witch?" Hayden asked sleepily, still fighting to keep her eyes open.

Rowena raised an eyebrow at the question.

"Sorry, I had to ask," Hayden chuckled. "But, seriously, you don't seem to like Sam or Dean very much. And you didn't exactly sound fond when you called them heroes, so I'm guessing they're the 'good guys', and that maybe you're not so much."

"Let's just say that I've done things in my past that neither of them agree with, most of them for my survival. Like yourself, I'm a survivor," Rowena said, a hint of pride tinging her voice.

"I don't feel much like a survivor," Hayden said. "I wouldn't have made it if I hadn't come across you three."

Neither would have I, Rowena thought to herself. If Oskar's family hadn't helped her, she most likely would have starved or frozen to death. The memory from long ago brought to mind more recent, painful memories. Rowena quickly pushed them from her mind.

"Sometimes survival means relying on others," Rowena said. She noticed Hayden was about to pass out, but was still struggling to stay awake. "Now, rest. If anything happens, Sam and Dean will take care of it." 

Hayden opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off.

"And no arguing!" Barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes, Rowena had to give the girl credit for one thing: she certainly was a fighter.

Hayden sighed, but lay down and closed her eyes. Within seconds, she was out like a light.

"Finally," Rowena muttered. She left the tent, seeing Sam still sitting by the fire. Dean must've gone to get some rest. "I'll take first watch again," she offered.

Sam nodded, standing. "How's Hayden, by the way?" he asked.

"Sleeping. Took some convincing, though. She's about as stubborn as the two of you," Rowena said.

"That's good," Sam said. "About the sleeping part, I mean."

"I know what you meant, Giant," Rowena replied.

"Right, well, wake one of us up in a few hours," Sam said, walking towards his tent.

"I know," Rowena said, sitting down by the fire.

 *   *   *

Several hours passed, or it felt like several hours, when Rowena woke Dean up and went to sleep herself.

Dean kept a sharp ear and eye out for anything. It was difficult to see beyond the boundaries of the light the fire cast. Luckily, the forest was so quiet you could hear a pin drop a mile away. It was unsettling, but at least nothing could get the jump on them.

After a while, Dean woke Sam up and they traded places. Like his brother, Sam kept a sharp lookout. He checked his watch once before remembering it wasn't working. He guessed it was close to dawn, which meant the sun would be coming up soon. He counted the time, hoping it would keep him from getting too bored. He counted several hours. He frowned. The sun had to be coming up by now, and yet it was just as dark as it had been all night. He blinked. Something caught his eye.

There was something on the ground, directly across from the tents, only a few feet away from the fire. Sam crept closer for a better look. It was a stone pile with four stick figures surrounding it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by Marrilyn  
> If you catch any mistakes in this or previous chapters, feel free to let me know! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is split up as they get attacked. Someone gets injured and a slight heart-to-heart conversation is had.

Sam's blood ran cold. How the hell had that gotten there without him seeing or hearing anything? He'd only blinked! It couldn't have appeared in that amount of time! Remembering Hayden's story, he realized that whatever was happening, it was escalating quickly.

"Dean!" Sam called. There was no answer. "Dean!" he called again.

"What?" Dean grumbled from within the tent.

"We have a situation!" Sam called.

Dean quickly came out of the tent, looking tired but ready. "What's going on?" he asked, looking around.

"That," Sam said, pointing at the strange stone pile. "I blinked and it just... appeared. Just like Hayden said."

"Oh, shit," Dean swore, looking around. "You thinking that monster is gonna show its face?"

"Probably," Sam replied, "and soon."

Hearing a noise behind them, Sam and Dean whipped around, drawing their guns. They sighed and lowered them as they realized it was just Rowena leaving her own tent. "Can't the two of you keep it down?" she grumbled. Hayden quickly followed her, looking concerned and still exhausted.

"We have a bit of a problem," Dean said.

"What now?" Rowena asked.

Dean opened his mouth to respond, but stopped as Hayden let out a muffled shriek, hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide, staring at the stone pile. "No, no, no, no, not again," she cried.

"Hey, listen to me," Dean said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He noticed she was shaking, fear taking over her. "We're gonna stop this thing, okay? Then we're gonna find your friends and get the hell out of this forest, understand?"

Hayden slowly drew her eyes from the stone pile to Dean. "Okay," she whispered.

"Good," Dean said. "Rowena, whatever the hell that is," he waved towards the stone pile, "looks kinda witchy. Mind taking a look?"

Rowena raised an eyebrow at the word 'witchy', but walked over to the stone pile without a word, waving her hands over it and muttering Latin and Gaelic incantations.

"Okay, Sam and I will keep watch," Dean told Hayden. "How long after the stone pile appeared did the monster show up?"

"I don't know," Hayden said. "I was asleep when it happened, but when I woke up, maybe ten minutes."

"Alright, we probably have a little under ten minutes now, then," Dean said. "Rowena, any information on that pile of rocks yet?"

"Don't rush me!" Rowena said.

"What should I do?" Hayden asked.

"You can help Sam and I keep a lookout," Dean said. 

Keeping a watchful eye on the trees, the three watched for any sign of movement and waited.

"Alright, I've got it," Rowena finally announced, walking back towards Sam, Dean, and Hayden.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Essentially, they're us," Rowena said. Everyone gave her a confused look. "Those figures are dolls, representing us. Somehow, a spell was cast, without our knowledge, to connect us to those dolls. So long as the spell is in place, we're trapped here. Even if the forest wasn't screwing with us, we still wouldn't be able to leave," Rowena explained.

"is there any way to break the spell?" Sam asked.

"There are two ways. The first would be to cast a counter-spell, which unfortunately, even if I had the ingredients, I couldn't do without knowing which exact spell was cast in the first place," Rowena said.

"And what's the second way?" Hayden asked.

"Breaking them. But I wouldn't suggest that, either. As far I can tell, breaking the dolls would leave serious consequences for us," Rowena said.

"What kind of consequences?" Dean asked.

"If I had to guess, anything ranging from debilitating pain to death," Rowena explained.

Everyone's face went pale. "Okay, I vote for  _not_  breaking the dolls," Hayden said.

"I think we all vote that," Dean added.

"Now what do we do?" Sam asked.

No one answered. A low growl was heard from the trees.

"It's here," Hayden whimpered.

"Stand behind me," Sam said, standing in front of her, aiming his gun towards the noise.

No one could see the monster, but they could hear it growl and hear leaves rustling as it circled the camp. Dean wondered why it hadn't attacked them yet. Maybe it was toying with them? Or maybe it somehow recognized their weapons? He couldn't be sure.

It suddenly went quiet. Had it gone away? Was it still there? No one could tell. Then, with a screech, it leapt from the trees and at the group. Like Hayden had described, it was tall and thin. It was pale, with long arms reaching out towards them, long claws ready to tear into flesh. Rowena cried, " _Abi!_ ", just as Sam and Dean each fired a shot at it, causing it to shriek and fly back into the trees. 

"Damnit," Dean swore.

"Hayden, wait!" Dean heard Sam cry. Turning for just a second, he saw Hayden darting away, in the opposite direction the monster had retreated to. Dean swore again. What the hell was she thinking? Then again, she probably wasn't. She was most likely acting on fear. Still, that didn't mean she had to do something so stupid!

"Sam, get her!" Dean called. "We'll try to keep this thing occupied!"

Sam nodded, running off in Hayden's direction.

"Hey, you ugly son of a bitch! Come get me! I'm right here!" Dean shouted, hoping the monster would go for him, rather than chase after Sam and Hayden.

"Really, Winchester?" Rowena hissed. "You  _want_  this thing to attack us?"

"Just drawing its attention," Dean said. "Now be quiet, I'm trying to hear it."

Dean's heart pounded, making it difficult to hear anything other than the roar of blood pumping through his body. The monster moved towards them again. " _Manete_ _!_ " Rowena yelled. The monster froze in place for just a second and Dean pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, it broke free of the spell and moved, making Dean's bullet only graze it. It let out an infuriated shriek and ran closer, swiping at something before darting back into the trees. Dean realized it must've swiped at the fire, as the campsite was plunged into darkness.

"That's not possible," Rowena said. "My spell should've held it."

"Shh," Dean said, trying to hear the monster. "Rowena, in my bag, I need you to get my flashlight. I have a spare clip of ammo in there, too."

Listening carefully, he heard Rowena blindly find her way to his bag, and then digging around in it, but he didn't hear the monster. He saw a light flick on in the corner of his eye. Rowena continued searching in the bag, now with the light, until she found the spare clip and handed it to Dean.

Pocketing the spare clip, he continued listening for the monster. "You see anything?" he asked as Rowena shone the flashlight towards the trees.

"No, nothing. It's-" Rowena let out a sharp scream, dropping the flashlight.

"Rowena!" Dean called, diving for the flashlight. He felt the air move beside him and realized the monster had flown right past him. He aimed the flashlight and gun to where the monster had been headed, but it was already back within the trees.

Shining the flashlight towards Rowena, he swore. She was on her knees, cradling her left arm and lips clamped shut, fighting back cries of pain. Blood ran between her fingers and he could see several long, and probably deep, claw marks running down her arm.

This was bad. They were just sitting ducks here and now Rowena was injured. "Okay, we gotta go," Dean said. "We can't stay here. Can you walk?"

"It's my arm that's hurt, not my leg!" Rowena snapped.

"Alright, then, let's go," Dean said, helping her stand. They ran in the direction Sam and Hayden had left, hoping they could catch up to them. Dean kept his eyes and ears sharp, ready to shoot at the monster if it came at them. It didn't. Dean had a bad feeling about that.

  *   *   *

Sam chased after Hayden, trying to follow the sound of her steps. He hoped Dean could keep the monster occupied, at least for a little bit. "Hayden!" he called. "Hayden, stop!" He could just barely see her running several yards ahead of him. She'd gotten a head start, but he had longer legs and wasn't exhausted and dehydrated.

Hayden let out a cry and fell to the ground with a dull thud. Quickly catching up, Sam saw she had tripped on a tree root, sticking out above the ground. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, I think," Hayden said, sitting up.

Reaching out a hand to help her up, Sam asked, "What the hell was that? I told you to stay behind me!"

Taking the offered hand, Hayden pulled herself up. "I freaked, okay? I'm sorry!" she exclaimed.

"We can't help you, or protect you, if you run away from us," Sam said.

"I know! I just... seeing it, the way it jumped at us, I... I remembered how it grabbed Josh. I remember hearing Jess's scream and thinking that it got her, too. I didn't want to see, or hear, that again!" Hayden cried.

As stupid as what she had done was, Sam couldn't entirely fault her for running or being scared. He and his brother saw things like this on a regular basis, whereas Hayden was just a normal girl who had unwittingly walked into this situation. She wasn't used to death or monsters like he was. 

"I know this is scary," he said, "but the only way I can keep you safe is if you stay with me, okay? Next time you want to run, just remember that I'm not gonna let this thing hurt you." Not if I can help it, anyway. It hurt, but there were always casualties. However, he was determined for Hayden not to be one of them.

Hayden was quiet for a moment. "Okay," she finally whispered.

"Good. Now, let's get back to camp. Dean and Rowena might need our help. Stick close to me," Sam said. Hayden nodded, taking a step closer to him, and they began walking back towards camp. He stayed alert, making sure the monster couldn't surprise them. It was difficult to see in the dark, so he listened for every little sound. He only heard the breathing and footsteps from himself and Hayden.

After several moments, and no sign of camp, Sam began growing concerned. He brushed it off, hoping that they'd merely run farther than he thought. After another few minutes, however, he realized they couldn't find camp. They were lost.

They continued onwards, Sam leading the way. There was nothing they could do but keep walking. He thought about Dean and Rowena. Had they killed the monster? Were they still at camp, being circled? Had they run? Or had the monster gotten them? He quickly pushed the thought from his head. Dean could handle himself, and so could Rowena.

Sam lost track of how much time had passed as they continued walking. All they could do was wander, aimlessly, in the dark, until they found something. When they did, it was a break in the trees that led to a small clearing. He almost thought it was their campsite, in the dark, until he slowly realized that there were more than two tents.

Hayden let out a small gasp. "Oh, god," she moaned. "This is our old campsite! Why did it lead us back here?"

"I don't know," Sam said. "But maybe we can search the bags for supplies. Some of them, anyway." He wasn't a fan of stealing from the dead, or potentially dead, but they needed anything useful they could find.

Hayden seemed to share his thoughts, as she was already walking towards one of the tents. He heard her rummaging around as he picked a tent at random and searched the bags there. Finding a flashlight, he turned it on. It almost surprised him that it still worked, since anything else with a battery seemed to be dead. Digging through the rest of the bag, he found other camping gear and personal belongings. In one pocket was a picture.

In the picture was, what appeared to be, a family of five. The parents looked happy, arms around each other. Standing beside them were two girls, twins, and a boy. From the outdoor scenery and the backpacks, he'd guess they'd been camping when they took this picture.

Footsteps startled Sam, and he quickly turned to see Hayden coming behind him, now with a flashlight and backpack. 

Seeing the bag he'd been rummaging in and the picture he was holding, Hayden sighed. "Figures you'd go through Josh's stuff."

"I'm guessing this is Josh?" Sam asked, pointing to the boy in the picture.

"Yeah. Josh, his parents, and his sisters, Hannah and Beth. They used to all be really close. But then Josh's mom died and... I don't know. He sort of disappeared for a while. By that time, most of us weren't really talking much anymore, anyway. Too busy with our own lives. Then Josh came back and suggested we all go camping for a weekend. Reconnect," Hayden explained. "We all thought it was going to be fun, but then... well, you know what happened."

Sam put the picture back in the bag. "Would you mind if I take Josh's bag?" he asked.

"It's not like anyone else is going to be using it," Hayden said.

Grabbing the bag, Sam exited the tent. Shining the flashlight around camp, he surveyed their surroundings. At one end of the camp were signs of a struggle, blood splatters, and marks that looked like a body had been dragged off. Hayden gasped and shut her eyes, quickly turning her head the other direction. He quickly shone the light away, placing a hand on her shoulder. He realized she was shaking. "I'm sorry about your friends," Sam said. Hayden could only nod.

Shining the light elsewhere, Sam saw the stone pile surrounded by dolls Hayden had mentioned.

Walking over, he looked at it closely. It was exactly the same as the one from his camp, except with several more dolls. His eyes skimmed over the dolls, counting each one as he went. Something was off. Furrowing his brow, Sam counted again. "Something's wrong here," he announced.

"What do you mean?" Hayden asked.

"Rowena said the dolls were us, basically. That each doll represented one of us. Which means it should be the same here," Sam said.

"Okay," Hayden said slowly, brows furrowing in confusion. "What are you getting at?"

"There were ten of you, meaning there should be ten dolls. Let's assume there's one missing, since a fourth doll appeared at our campsite, representing you. That would mean there should be nine here. But there's not. There's only eight," Sam explained.

"So, what? Are you thinking whoever, whatever, made these, missed one of us?" Hayden asked.

"I doubt it," Sam said, "which means it skipped one of you on purpose."

"But why? What purpose would they have for skipping one of us?" Hayden asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it can't be good," Sam answered.

 *   *   *

Dean lost track of how long they ran for, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He heard Rowena close behind him, but didn't hear any sign of the monster.

"Wait!" Rowena called, panting. "I need to stop!"

Dean slowed to a stop, turning around to see Rowena leaning against a tree and clutching her wound, looking paler than usual. "You okay?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Rowena panted, glaring at him.

"Let me see," Dean said, walking over to her, reaching out for her arm.

For a moment she silently protested, moving her arm out of reach, before sighing and releasing it, letting him take a look.

Blood leaked from the wounds, coming slower as Rowena's heart rate slowed. "We need to bandage those," Dean said. "You're losing blood pretty fast."

"I can heal it," Rowena said. "Just give me a moment."

Dean took a step back, releasing her arm. Rowena held her right hand above her injury, moving it up and down her arm as she muttered Latin incantations. Keeping an eye out the monster, Dean shone the flashlight around them, gun raised and ready to fire.

After a moment, the incantations stopped and Rowena swore.

Turning to her, he could see the wounds looking better. The blood had stopped and they weren't as deep, but they were still there.

"I thought you said you could heal it," Dean said.

"I can!" Rowena exclaimed. "But healing magic can be... difficult. And without any ingredients to cast the spell, I'm drawing power from my own energy! Any other witch wouldn't have even gotten this far!"

Dean sighed. Her wound would still need first-aid, and they'd left the kit back at camp. Seeing no other option, Dean handed the flashlight to Rowena and shed his flannel shirt, beginning to tear it into strips.

"What are you doing?" Rowena asked.

"Making bandages. Your arm needs them," Dean said.

"Well,  _obviously_  my arm needs bandages," Rowena said, rolling her eyes. "I just meant..."

"Why am I helping you? And ruining my own shirt to do it?" Dean asked, tying one of the strips of cloth around her arm. Rowena nodded. "Because you're hurt, and we still need you. And... you're not actually as bad as I thought."

"And how do you figure that?" Rowena asked.

"Our conversation," Dean said, continuing to bandage her arm, "From the motel."

"Yes, I'm sure my reluctant agreement to help you two was such an eye-opening conversation," Rowena said, rolling her eyes.

"Not that one. It was from when I was losing my memory," Dean explained.

Rowena stiffened. "I thought you said you didn't remember anything."

"I didn't," Dean shrugged. "Not much, anyway. It's been coming back over time."

"You realize you can't trust all your memories from that time, right? No doubt they're going to be all jumbled and confused and-" Rowena began.

"Rowena," Dean said firmly. "I remember. No confusion about it."

Looking away from Dean, Rowena said, "You know I was just saying all that to seem nice, right?"

"Seemed pretty genuine to me," Dean replied.

Rowena said nothing, only glaring and looking away from Dean. Dean simply continued bandaging her arm. When he got to the last one, he asked, "Did you mean what you said? About wanting to be happy?"

"Isn't that what we all want?" Rowena replied after a moment, her voice softer as she looked off into the trees.

"Yeah, I guess," Dean said. He thought back to what she'd asked him at the motel.

_How can there be any hope for me?_  He remembered her looking at him, nearly asking him with her eyes for some sort of answer.

He wished he had an answer. Sure, she was a horrible person who had done horrible things, but it's not like Dean was squeaky-clean, either. And, from what he could tell, she was trying to change. Evidently, she had learned her lesson from trying to team up with Lucifer and Amara.

He finished tying the last bandage. "Alright, that should, hopefully, hold until we can get some real first-aid," he said.

"So, what now? We can't head back to the campsite, since that thing could still be there," Rowena said

Dean thought it over. The forest was too big to go looking for Sam and Hayden, and with the campsite no longer an option, their options were limited. "We keep heading towards Rorschach's house," Dean finally said. "Hopefully, Sam can get Hayden and they'll head there, as well, if they go back to the campsite and don't find us."

"Do you even know the way to this house?" Rowena asked.

"No," Dean said. "But trying to get there is our only option at this point."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my editor Marrilyn!  
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Things really got seriou, didn't they?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is taken just as the group reunites.

After they finished scrounging for supplies, Sam figured that if they couldn't get back to their camp, the only thing they could do was head to Rorschach's house and hope Dean and Rowena met them there. So, the two of them set out, now with backpacks and supplies, in, hopefully, the direction of the house.

"What do you think they want? Whoever made the dolls, I mean." Hayden asked.

"I don't know," Sam answered. "My best guess is it just wants to kill, or mess with, people. Or both. That's probably why it led us to your camp. To mess with us."

"And what about the monster? It doesn't seem smart enough to cast spells or build dolls. What do you think its part in all this is?" Hayden questioned.

"Maybe it's something that got trapped here. It could be connected to the forest, or maybe it's a part of it. I haven't gotten a good look at it, so I can't tell what it is, and that's assuming it's something I've seen before," Sam said.

Looking down at the ground, Sam noticed something. Motioning for Hayden to stop, he crouched down to get a better look. "Drag marks," he noted. There was something in the ground, the tip just sticking out from the dirt. He picked it up, shaking and brushing dirt from it. His heart sank as he realized it was a nail, painted bright pink with black and white polka-dots.

"Oh, god," Hayden gasped. "That's Jess'! That's her...oh, god!" Closing her eyes, she leaned on a tree, taking deep breaths and trying to keep calm.

Dropping the nail, Sam quickly went to Hayden. "Hey, it's okay. Just breath," he said.

"It's not okay!" Hayden exclaimed. "Whatever's going on here, it's killed my friends! And if we don't stop this thing, we're next!" Looking at him, fighting back tears but with a new determination in her eyes, she said, "We  _have_  to stop this, Sam!"

"We will," Sam said. "We just need to figure out what this is first, and then how to kill it. And just because we found her nail... it doesn't mean your friend is dead."

"Do you really believe that?" Hayden asked. 

Sam opened his mouth, and closed it again. No, he didn't. He knew Jess was most likely dead. 

"Neither do I," Hayden said. "Come on, let's just keep going."

The two continued in silence. Hayden didn't say it, but Sam could tell the knowledge of her friends' death weighed heavily on her. And not only that, but the thought of all her other friends having potentially suffered the same fate. He knew the feeling of losing his friends well, having lost just about every single one, and then even his brother, multiple times.

They couldn't have walked for more than fifteen minutes when they heard a low growl. The two were instantly on alert, Sam aiming his gun and listening carefully for the monster. Even with the flashlight, he couldn't see any sign of it.

Hayden suddenly let out a scream. Sam spun around, heart pounding, to see the monster standing over her, Hayden knocked to the ground. "Hey!" Sam shouted, firing at the monster. With a screech, it turned to face him. It roared, mouth wide and full of sharp, jagged teeth. Seeing the monster clearly for the first time, he realized what it was, throwing him off guard for just a second.

The monster rushed at him. Sam continued shooting, but it swung at him, throwing him back into a tree. The wind was knocked from him as he hit the tree, and then fell to the ground.

"Sam!" Hayden screamed. Her eyes widened as the monster turned to her again, and she tried crawling away. She felt it grab her, tossing her over its shoulder. "Sam!" she screamed again. "Help!" 

Sam struggled to stand, his body aching, as he scrambled to grab his gun. He found it in just enough time to take one final shot at the monster. It clicked. Sam's blood ran cold, realizing he'd run out of bullets. The monster disappeared into the darkness, taking Hayden with it. He took off after it, but already knew in his heart it was too late.

 *   *   *

They must've walked for nearly two hours before Rowena requested they stop and rest for a moment. Normally, Dean would have insisted they keep pushing on, but considering the condition Rowena was in, and the fact that he was beginning to need a rest himself, he 

agreed.

The two sat against a large tree, listening for any sign of the monster. "How's your arm?" he asked.

"Better," Rowena said. "I just realized, I never said 'thank you' for bandaging my arm. So... thank you."

"Yeah, no problem," Dean said. 

They sat in silence, regaining their energy. A strange sense of foreboding lingered in the air, like something was going to happen. Both Dean and Rowena could sense it, but neither one said anything about it.

After a few more minutes, Dean was about to suggest they start walking again when they heard a scream in the distance. Dean bolted up, heart racing, trying to determine which direction the scream had come from. Gunshots rang out, echoing through the forest. They had to belong to Sam, meaning Hayden was the one screaming. Another scream. This time, Dean could tell where it was coming from and he took off towards it, Rowena following.

He barreled through the forest, hoping it wasn't too late. He couldn't hear any more screams or gunshots. Had they gotten the monster? Had the monster gotten them? He collided with something and was sent crashing to the ground, hard.

Dean groaned, looking for what he'd run into. It was Sam, who had also crashed to the ground and was looking a little winded. "Sam!" Dean exclaimed.

"Dean?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Where's Hayden? I heard screaming and gunfire," Dean said, getting up.

"The monster got her. It took her and ran," Sam explained, clambering to his feet.

Dean swore. He could only imagine what that meant for Hayden.

Rowena finally caught up, panting and stumbling through the underbrush. "Would you mind going a little slower next time, Winchester?"

"Sorry 'bout that," Dean said. He noticed she was clutching her arm again. "Your arm okay?"

"It's fine," Rowena said.

"What happened to your arm?" Sam asked.

"The monster got me," Rowena said.

"And speaking of the monster, I know what it is!" Sam exclaimed. "It's a wendigo!"

"A wendigo? I saw that thing, it didn't look like a wendigo," Dean said.

"Because it's not a full wendigo! Whoever it is, they're only in the process of becoming a wendigo. We never got a good look at it before, but I did when it attacked me and Hayden. It's probably someone who got trapped here and took to eating any other people they found," Sam explained.

"I guess that explains why our bullets never seemed to work that well," Dean said. "But that means we don't have any weapons against it."

"But maybe we do," Sam said. "Rowena, if we could distract it or get it to stay still long enough, do you think you could use that fire spell on it?"

Rowena thought for a second. "It's possible. I've never tried it, but it should work," she said.

"Okay, great, we know how to kill it. Now we just need to find this thing," Dean said.

"Rorschach's house," Sam said. "It's the perfect place for a wendigo to hide out and store its... food."

"Assuming we can even get there," Rowena said. "We have no idea which way it is, or if this forest will even let us!"

"I saw which way the wendigo went. All we have to worry about is the forest messing with us," Sam said.

Dean sighed. "I hope you're right about this, Sam."

"So do I," Sam replied.

*   *   *

Hayden didn't know where she was. She might've been inside a house. She couldn't tell. She tried moving her arms. They were tied together. Her legs were, too. Her head hurt. She couldn't move. Tears filled her eyes and a quiet gasp escaped her lips. She heard something move nearby. She tried to stifle her cries.

"Shhh," she heard someone shush. She felt their hand brush her hair. She only cried harder. A cloth was placed over her nose and mouth. It smelled strange. She struggled. Her captor kept shushing her and petting her hair, like a mother comforting their child. She felt herself grow weaker. Tears streamed down the side of her face. Everything grew distant. Everything faded to black.

_She opened her eyes. She was in the forest. It was dark, but she could still see. She didn't recognize this part of the forest. "Where am I?" she asked aloud._

_"My, aren't you the pretty one," a husky voice answered from behind Hayden. She turned around to see a woman. The woman was beautiful, with long dark hair and blue eyes. Her clothes were old-fashioned, probably from before the 1900s, if Hayden were to guess._

_"Who are you?" Hayden asked. The woman ignored her, instead looking her up and down._ _She_ _began walking towards her. Hayden tried back away, but found she was frozen in place. "Why can't I move?"_

_The woman circled Hayden, observing her. "Young, pretty, strong... I couldn't have asked for anyone better,"_ _she_ _said to herself. "Much better than the other one."_

_"What are you talking about?" Hayden asked._

_The woman suddenly gripped_ _her_ _face, making her look directly into_ _her_ _eyes. Hayden felt a stab of fear in her heart. There was something about this woman that was... dangerous, and powerful, too. She was not someone to be messed with. "What_ _'_ _s your name?" the woman asked. Despite her fear, Hayden remained defiantly silent. Anger flashed through the woman's eyes for a second, before they grew calm again. "I suppose it doesn't matter. Or it won't, soon enough."_

_A growl somewhere to the right caused Hayden to stiffen in fear, turning her head as much as she could in the woman's grasp to see the monster circling them, just beyond the trees. "Don't worry. My puppy won't hurt you."_

_"That's no puppy," Hayden said._

_The woman chuckled. "No, but he attacks on command. And he'll keep us from being interrupted when it begins."_

_"When what begins?" Hayden asked._

_"Hush, now," the woman said, bringing her other hand up and placing a finger on Hayden's lips. "No more questions. We'll both need rest. Although..." the woman trailed off, her gaze lowering from Hayden's eyes as she lowered her finger, "perhaps, just a taste..."_

_Hayden didn’t have time to wonder what the woman meant, as almost immediately_ _her_ _lips were pressed against her own. She felt something pushing at her mind. She could see memories. The first day of school, scraping her knee after falling off a bike, her first time watching an R-rated horror movie, the time she rescued a spider and set it outside when everyone else in the class didn't want to go near it... she saw more and more memories go by. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want_ the woman _to see this._

_She pushed back, trying to hold back the memories and force the woman from her mind. She pushed with all her strength. More memories appeared. But, to her shock, she realized they weren't her own memories._

_There were memories of a small town, everyone dressed in old-fashioned clothes. Memories of people hissing and booing, of name calling and hate mixed with fear. Memories of running from an angry crowd, cursing them as she did, and then memories of running through a forest, hungry, cold, and lost._

_Hayden could feel the woman pushing back at her with more strength, but she pushed back. She pushed with everything she had, pushed until her head felt like it might explode. She saw another memory, and grabbed onto it._

_She was laying on the ground, cold, hungry, and tired. She could feel her energy slipping away._ _Her body felt nothing but pai_ _n, but on the_ _inside_ _she felt only_ _boiling rage, and a desire for others to suffer the same way she had suffered. If she were to die here, then so would all others who came to this place_ _!_

_Hayden felt herself pulled back into her own mind as the woman pushed her away. Hayden fell to the ground, looking up at the woman, and realized who she was. She was the witch, Kelley Edwards._

_Kelley's eyes were full of anger, but she chuckled, holding it back. "You truly_ are  _strong! Enough to be a challenge, anyway. I'm going to_ enjoy  _breaking you."_

_Hayden flinched, waiting for Kelley's retaliation. But the witch, along with the forest, simply disappeared, leaving Hayden alone in the dark._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thanks to my wonderful editor, Marrilyn!  
> Enjoy, guys! What did you think of the end of this chapter? And who do you picture as the witch? Let me know in the comments. I pictured Eva Green.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the final chapter, the group enter their final confrontation with the forest!

Rorschach's house was covered in vines and dirt and it creaked dangerously, looking as though it were about to cave in on itself. Most of the windows were boarded up, including all of those on the first floor, while others were just empty frames. The front door still hung on its hinges, and upon closer inspection it had been kept open a few inches.

Leading the way, Dean opened the door with a creak, cringing at the noise, and holding his gun and flashlight in front of him. Seeing nothing, he crept in, motioning for Sam and Rowena to follow. The inside of the house was just as bad as the outside. The wood was old and rotting, and in some places entire sections of the walls were missing. The floorboards squeaked as the group moved, searching for any sign of Hayden, the other victims, or the wendigo.

Moving from room to room, they found no sign of anything. Just more creaking floorboards and rotting rooms. Once the entire first floor had been checked, they moved towards the stairs. Dean thought he heard something, but couldn't tell over the creaking of the house. Ready to fight in case something attacked, he placed his foot on the first step.

He only felt something hit him before he was flying through the air and hitting a wall. He heard two more thuds and realized Sam and Rowena had also been thrown against the walls. Standing up, despite his aching body, he stood, seeing the wendigo standing guard at the stairs. It eyed each of them, probably trying to figure out who was the greatest threat.

Dean shot at the wendigo, hitting its arm and drawing its attention. The wendigo shrieked as the bullet hit it, turning its attention towards him. His eyes widened as he saw the sharp, jagged teeth. He shot again, directly into its mouth, as it screeched at him. It choked for a moment, coughing the bullet out and screaming.

"Rowena, now!" Dean yelled.

The wendigo lowered itself, tensing, as it prepared to pounce. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Rowena standing and raising her arms. " _Incendo_ _!_ " she cried. The wendigo turned to her, shrieking. For a second, Dean thought it might attack her and he shot it again, trying to draw its attention. However, in less than a second, it caught on fire.

The wendigo screamed in pain, loud enough to make everyone cover their ears, as it flailed and writhed, the fire eating at its body. Within seconds, the fire consumed the monster, and it fell to the floor, dead. Dean wrinkled his nose at the smell of burning flesh, and couldn't help but feel a little bad. Not for the monster, but for whoever it had been before. Just another missing person, trapped in the forest and forced to do whatever it took to survive, even turning themselves into a monster to do it.

For a moment it was quiet, and then the house began to shake and what sounded like a scream of rage tore through the house. "What the hell?" Sam asked, trying to remain steady on his feet. They looked around for the source of the screaming, but could find none.

Slowly, the screaming and shaking died down, and the house stood still and quiet again. "What the bloody hell was that?" Rowena asked.

"I don't know," Sam said.

"We'll figure that out later," Dean said, "Let's just focus on finding Hayden."

Doing their best to maneuver around the charred corpse of the wendigo, they made their way up the stairs.

With each step, the group began noticing a smell. It was one each of them knew well. The stench of rotting meat and death.  Dean knew what they were going to find. They all did.

At the top of the stairs was a short hall with several doors, everything in the same state of disrepair as downstairs. Directly across from the stairs was a closed door. Creeping closer, they moved towards it, the stench only growing stronger and stronger. Dean reached out, grabbing the door knob, and twisting, pushing the door open. Inside the room was a horror show.

Bodies were laid out in the room, all in various states of decay. Blood bathed the floor around the bodies. Some had had their throats slit, others stabbed, and one had even been gutted. Some looked as though they'd been killed where they lay, while others appeared to have been dragged. Several had looks of terror still on their faces, while the rest appeared peaceful, as though they'd been killed in their sleep. The group quickly realized the bodies were Hayden's missing friends, and that they'd been laid out in a circle. There was an empty space in the circle, obviously for a final body.

"Bloody hell," Rowena muttered, looking at the sight. Dean knew it was simply an expression, but he couldn't help but agree. It was a bloody hell. Not quite as bad as the things he'd seen, or even done, in his time in hell, but definitely horrible beyond reason.

"Hang on," Sam said, "the bodies haven't been eaten. What kind of wendigo kills their food but doesn't eat it?"

"Well, you said it was in the process of becoming a wendigo, right? Maybe it doesn't know how to eat like a wendigo," Dean suggested. "Either way, it doesn't matter. We need to find Hayden."

"Over there," Rowena said, pointing to a dark corner. "I see something!"

Dean pointed his flashlight to the corner, and to his relief, it was Hayden, tied up and passed out cold. He ran to help her, untying her and calling for her to wake up. Rowena joined him, but he noticed Sam inspecting the circle of bodies.

Hayden didn't respond to Dean's calls. He gently shook her. Nothing. He checked her pulse, worrying that maybe she actually was dead. No, she was alive. Her heart was beating, slow but steady. Why wouldn't she wake up?

"Let me try," Rowena said, placing a hand on Hayden's head. " _Expergefacio_."

With a gasp, Hayden opened her eyes. She wildly looked around, jolting upright and begging to crawl backwards, away from them. "Hayden, it's us!" Dean said. She stopped, her eyes resting on Dean and Rowena.

"What? What's going on?" Hayden asked.

"It's okay. We killed the monster. You're safe now," Dean said.

Hayden shook her head. "No... no, there's something else going on, I..." she trailed off, noticing Sam inspecting the bodies. Upon seeing them, she closed her eyes, looking away and holding back a scream.

"I'm sorry," Dean apologized.

"I know," Hayden said, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "It's not your fault. I just... can't believe they’re all d-dead." She said the last word with a gasp, tears falling faster.

Hayden's words echoed in Dean's mind. There was something else going on. "Hayden," Dean began, "I know this is hard, but you said something else was going on. What did you mean?"

"The monster was only a... guard dog, I guess. Whatever's going on, it's because of the witch. Kelly Edwards," Hayden sniffled, wiping the tears from her face. "I saw her."

"Saw her? Like a ghost?" Dean asked.

Hayden shook her head. "In a dream." She told them about the dream she'd had, everything from the witch first appearing to everything that had been said to the memory 'sharing' session they'd had. Sam had walked over to them after she began telling them about the dream, listening carefully. An expression of realization began dawning on Rowena's face throughout the story.

"I think I know what's going on here!" Rowena announced once Hayden had finished talking.

Sam, Dean, and Hayden all gave Rowena a confused look. "How?" Sam asked.

"In the memory Hayden saw, the witch cursed the land to make those on it suffer as she did. But it's not the curse itself doing all this! Kelley Edwards, her spirit is attached to the forest, similar to a ghost attaching itself to its bones or an object," Rowena explained. She stood, moving over to the circle of bodies. "And this," she said, motioning to the circle, "is a ritual! Crude and sloppy, but still useable."

"A ritual for what?" Dean asked.

"A vessel. Kelley Edwards wants a body again, and this ritual will give her one. All someone would have to do is finish the circle and stand in the center, letting themselves become possessed by her," Rowena said.

"Which means I'm the final body," Hayden said numbly.

"Something we're not letting happen," Sam said.

"I don't think so," Rowena said. "She said she couldn't have asked for anyone better, right?" Hayden nodded. "Which means  _you're_ meant to be the vessel. Or you are now, if that wasn't the original plan. Whoever set all this up was probably planning on being the vessel."

"So, whoever's missing from the circle is the original vessel?" Dean asked.

"It's Josh," Sam said. "He's the only other one missing from the circle."

"But it can't be," Hayden protested. "He... he brought us... oh my god." Realization dawned on her. "He brought us on purpose. He brought us here to  _kill us_! How could he?"

"Because she promised," a new voice said. They group whipped around, stopping upon seeing Josh standing in the doorway.

He looked as bad as Hayden, and worse. Covered in dirt, blood, and torn clothes, with dark circles and a far off look in his eyes. His speech was slurred. He looked almost ready to fall over. "She promised," he repeated. "This is just punishment. But you'd all come back."

"Josh?" Hayden asked, staring at him in shock.

"Who promised? Kelley Edwards?" Dean asked.

Josh nodded. "You'd all pay, and then she'd give me the power to bring you back," he said.

"Pay for what? What could we possibly have to pay for?" Hayden asked. 

"You all left," Josh mumbled. "She was gone, and then you were all gone! I needed you!"

"You're the one who left, remember? We all did our best and  _you left_!" Hayden exclaimed.

"Doesn't matter now," Josh said. "It's time for your payment." He pulled a knife from behind his back and began advancing towards the group.

Sam and Dean stepped in front of Hayden, ready to fight. They didn't want to kill Josh, as horrible as what he'd done was. He was still human, after all. "Josh, stop right there!" Dean warned.

Josh stopped. And clutched at his head. "No, no, no!  _I'm_  the vessel! Not her! You promised  _me_!" he cried. The group watched in fear and confusion as he stopped for a moment, seeming to listen to someone. "I  _am_  worthy! You'll see! I can prove it!"

Josh stopped clutching his head continued, staring off into space, and then suddenly lunged at them. Sam and Dean prepared to face his attack, but felt the wind get knocked out of them as they were knocked to the side by an unseen force. They landed with a thump, and another thump told them Rowena had also been thrown to the side.

They heard a struggle, and looked to see Hayden barely holding back Josh. Dean was the first to try to run to her aid, but found he couldn't move a bone in his body. He tried again and again, each time he achieving no result. He swore. The only thing he could do. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam and Rowena were similarly frozen.

He could only watch as Hayden and Josh struggled, Hayden barely avoiding being stabbed as Josh pushed her towards the circle. The two reached the circles edge. Hayden fell backwards, taking Josh with her. The two continued their fight, but Dean couldn't see who was winning. They struggled until he heard the sound of the knife piercing flesh and they both went still. "Hayden?" Dean called, fearing for her life.

There was slight movement, and then more as Josh's body was pushed off of Hayden's. She stood, shaking, and covered in Josh's blood. She looked, dazed, between his body and her bloody hands.

"Hayden, are you okay?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," she mumbled.

Dean noticed the room getting lighter, the source coming from the circle. His heart froze as he realized pushing Josh's body off of her had placed his body in the empty space of the circle.

"Hayden, get out of the circle!" Rowena cried, also realizing what had happened.

Hayden only stared at them, confused, before falling to her knees, screaming. She clutched at her head, shaking it, still screaming.

"You have to fight it, Hayden!" Sam called.

"I can't!" she cried. She suddenly moved her head in a motion so fast Dean was sure she would have whiplash, and laughed. Only the laugh wasn't Hayden's.

" _You_ _fools_ _! Your little friend is going away_!" Kelley laughed. Her laugh quickly turned to a scream.

"No! Get out of me!"

" _Stop fighting! It's pointless_!"

"Go to hell!"

"Hayden!" Dean called, getting her attention. "Keep fighting this! You have to keep fighting, alright?"

"I don't think I can!" Hayden sobbed.

"Get out of the circle!" Rowena said. "It'll weaken her hold!"

Hayden, still fighting, began slowly crawling out of the circle. Occasionally, she'd stop, even take a step back, but continued on, struggling against Kelley's hold. Crawling over Josh's body, Hayden finally made it out of the circle, collapsing onto the ground. Dean suddenly felt the hold on him disappear as an inhuman scream filled the house.

Dean sprinted over to Hayden, who lay panting and looking more exhausted than ever. "You okay?" he asked.

Hayden shook her head. "I can still feel her," she said, breathless. "She's fighting to come back in. I can hear her screaming at me to let her in. We have to stop her."

"How do we do that?" Sam asked.

"There's a spell," Rowena began, "that might work. It's not a guarantee, and it'll take more energy than I have right now alone. But it's the only thing I can think of."

"Then do it!" Sam said.

"What part of 'more energy than I have right now alone' did you not understand?" Rowena asked. "I'll need a second to help me cast it!"

"Then teach me the spell, I'll do it!" Sam said.

"It won't work. I doubt either of you have close to the amount of energy. It has to be Hayden," Rowena said.

"You think Hayden has enough energy to cast a spell? Look at her!" Dean exclaimed.

"I am! I'm not happy about it, either, but she's managing to fight off a witch! A witch who, by the way, is trying to possess her, thus transferring some of her power to Hayden!" Rowena argued.

Dean opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by Hayden. "I'll do it," she said. "I'll do anything to get this witch out of my head."

"You sure?" Dean asked.

"Yes! Teach me the spell," Hayden said, slowly sitting up.

"Give me your hands," Rowena said, holding hers out palm up. Hayden did as she was told, placing her hands in Rowena's. "Now, repeat after me. Once you know the incantation, we can actually do the spell."

"Et terra fluens abluere omne malum," Rowena said. 

" _Et terra_ _fluens_ _abluere_ _omne_ _malum_ ," Hayden repeated.

"Ad quos eieci tenebris et spirituum praesentia praegravatur."

" _Ad quos_ _eieci_ _tenebris_ _et_ _spirituum_ _praesentia_ _praegravatur_ _._ "

"Tibi terram hanc et non fuerat."

" _Tibi_ _terram_ _hanc_ _et non_ _fuerat_."

"Derelinquamus eam et rediit."

" _Derelinquamus_ _eam_ _et_ _rediit_." As she spoke the last word, Hayden cried out, tears streaming down her face. "I can't hold her back for long!" she cried.

"We have to do the spell now! Say it with me this time, and focus on getting rid of Kelley," Rowena said.

They began saying the spell together. Once more, a loud screaming filled the house as it began to shake, as if an earthquake were happening. With each word, the shaking grew stronger. Dean thought the house was about to collapse, and he could barely hear Hayden and Rowena over the angered scream.

More tears streamed down Hayden's face, agony painted in her expression. But she continued on, until the very last word. There was one final, ear-piercing scream of rage that rang through the house, and the entire forest, before it died.

Hayden collapsed again and Dean caught her before her head could hit the ground. The house was dark and silent. Then it began to lighten. Noises began drifting into the house. He had never been so relieved to hear bird song before, or see sunlight.

"We did it," Rowena breathed. 

"Dean," Sam said, worriedly looking at Hayden. He looked down at her. She wasn't breathing. He checked her pulse. Her heart wasn't beating.

"No, no, no, you are  _not_  dying! Not after all this!" Dean said, laying her down and beginning CPR. "C'mon, kid," he muttered, pressing on her chest. "Wake up!"

He continued for a minute, and his panic grew with each second she didn't wake up. Sam reached out, ready to tell his brother that she was gone.

Hayden's eyes flew open and she took a large breath of air, coughing. Dean felt relief wash over him in waves and he let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"What happened?" Hayden asked, panting. "Is it over?"

Dean shared a look with Sam and Rowena before looking back at Hayden. "Yeah," he said, "it's over."

 *   *   *

After Hayden had recovered, she wanted to leave immediately. Dean didn't blame her. She'd been through hell here. They'd all left, leaving the bodies behind. Now that the forest was safe, they could send the authorities to handle the bodies.

Despite how exhausted Hayden seemed, she insisted they keep walking. She didn't want to rest until she was out of the forest. She had a single-minded determinedness that almost worried Dean, but he could understand her fear of staying here one more night.

They came across their old campsite, but only stopped for a moment to grab supplies, as Hayden refused to stop walking for more than a few minutes. As they walked, Sam and Dean came up with a story they could tell the authorities, leaving out the monster and the witch, watering it down to only Josh being the culprit.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they finally made it back to the main path, and when they finally stepped out of the forest, Dean was simultaneously exhausted and giddy. But he wasn't for long. Once they were out of the forest, Hayden's determination to keep going disappeared and she collapsed.

They called to a few bystanders to call an ambulance and within minutes Hayden was being placed on a stretcher while Dean climbed in back with her. Sam said he and Rowena would follow in Baby and they were off to the hospital.

Hayden remained asleep the entire time, and the entire group was kept over-night for observation. Something Rowena was obviously unhappy about, but finally complied with after some convincing from Dean.

The night passed uneventfully, and the next day Sam, Dean, and Rowena were allowed to leave. Rowena wanted to leave immediately, wanting her payment for her help on the case, and not wanting to stay in the hospital any longer, but Dean convinced her to wait just a bit longer so they could see how Hayden was doing.

It was different, seeing Hayden clean and with her wounds bandaged. She was awake, and smiled when they entered the room. "Hey!" she said, giving a small wave, the IVs and tubes connected to her arm moving with it.

"How are you feeling?" Dean asked.

"Not as bad as I was. The meds really help with the pain," Hayden said. "And what about you guys? I'm guessing you're free to go?"

"Yeah. Our injuries were nowhere near yours," Sam said. "That, and we're not suffering from dehydration, malnutrition, and exhaustion."

Hayden shrugged. "I'll be fine. The nurses don't seem to think so, though. Every time I try to stretch my legs or move around too much, they yell at me to get back into bed. I keep telling them the worst thing I feel is a headache."

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, they do that," he said. "And how are you... mentally? Emotionally? Whatever?" He felt Sam elbow him in the ribs. "What?"

"You mean how am I dealing with everything?" Hayden asked. "I'm... I don't know. I mean, I'm still a little freaked. All my friends are dead and I'm probably gonna have to explain to their parents why I survived and their kids didn't. I'm still... scared, I guess, that the witch isn't really gone. Even though I know she is, because we managed to escape. I'm definitely gonna need a ton of therapy."

Dean had to agree with that last statement. Personally, he wasn't a fan of therapy or talking about feelings, but maybe it could do something for Hayden. "Just, remember you can't talk about-" he began.

"The monster or the witch? Or almost getting possessed? Or the forest messing with us? Yeah, I know," Hayden said.

"Hey, if you ever need to talk to us, or something else happens, call us," Sam said, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket and handing it to Hayden.

Hayden looked at the number, then at Sam. "Thanks," she said, taking the paper. "I'll think about it."

"You sure you'll be okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Hayden said.

For a moment it was silent, except for the beeping of the machines in Hayden's room. "You guys should probably go. I mean, thank you for saving me, and probably others in the future. I can't ever thank you enough, but..."

"We have to go, anyway," Dean said. "Other cases to worry about and such."

"Good luck," Hayden said. "And stay safe."

"We'll try," Dean said, knowing that staying safe was impossible in their line of work.

They left the hospital room, passing a worried looking couple that were on their way in to see Hayden.

Walking down the hall, Sam asked, "Think she'll be okay?"

"I don't know. Probably not. But she's alive," Dean said.

"She's strong," Rowena added. "A survivor. I think she'll manage."

"Alright, we'll head to the bunker, you get your pages, and then you can go wherever," Dean said. "And Rowena? Thanks for helping us."

"I didn't do it for you," Rowena said. "I just want those pages." Despite her words, she couldn't help the slightest smile that found its way to her lips.

Walking out of the hospital, the group climbed into Baby. Turning on the ignition and putting in a cassette tape, Dean began playing AC/DC, turning down the volume so Rowena wouldn't complain, and the car drove off, back towards home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to my wonderful editor, Marrilyn, who has made some amazing comments and noticed all my dumb mistakes! ❤  
> So, what did you all think of the final chapter?  
> For the spell they used at the end:  
> "I cleanse this land of all evil  
> I banish the dark spirits that reside here  
> You shall no longer haunt this land  
> Leave now and never come back"
> 
> I just put it into google translate, so sorry for any mistakes to those who speak Latin

**Author's Note:**

> Edited by Marrilyn  
> This is my first multi-chap, so please let me know that you like it if you want me to continue!


End file.
